Immune Responses to Polysaccharides
Heidelberger and Avery (1923) demonstrated that the type specific antigens of pneumococci are polysaccharides. Bacterial capsular polysaccharides are cell surface antigens composed of identical repeat units which form extended saccharide chains. Polysaccharide structures are present on pathogenic bacteria and have been identified on Escherichia coli, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Group A and Group B Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and other species. (Kenne and Lindberg 1983).
Specific blood group determinants and "tumor-associated" antigens are examples of mammalian cell surface carbohydrates. Oncogenically transformed cells often display surface carbohydrates distinctly different from those of non-transformed cells. These glycans consist of only a few monosaccharides (Hakomori and Kannagi 1986). The glycan structures by themselves are usually not antigenic, but constitute haptens in conjunction with protein or glycoprotein matrices.
A general feature of saccharide antigens is their inability to elicit significant levels of IgG antibody classes (IgG isotypes) or memory responses, and accordingly, they are considered thymus-independent (TI) antigens. Conjunction of polysaccharide antigens or of immunologically inert carbohydrate haptens to thymus dependent (TD) antigens such as proteins enhances their immunogenicity. The protein stimulates carrier-specific T-helper cells which play a role in the induction of anti-carbohydrate antibody synthesis (Bixler and Pillai 1989).
Much of our current knowledge of TI and TD responses comes from studies of pertinent mouse models (Stein et al., 1983; Stein, 1992; Stein, 1994). TI antigens generally elicit low affinity antibodies of restricted class and do not produce immunologic memory. Adjuvants have little effect on response to TI antigens. In contrast, TD antigens elicit heterogeneous and high affinity antibodies with immunization and produce immunologic memory. Adjuvants enhance response to TD antigens. Secondary responses to TD antigens shows an increase in the IgG to IgM ratio, while for TI antigens the secondary response IgG to IgM ratio is one-to-one, similar to that of a primary response (Stein et al., 1982; Stein, 1992 and 1994). In mice and humans, TD antigens elicit predominantly IgG.sub.1 isotypes, with some amounts of IgG.sub.2 and IgG.sub.3 isotypes. TI responses to polysaccharides are restricted to IgG.sub.3 of the IgG isotypes (Perlmutter et al., 1978; Slack et al., 1980).
Current Pneumococcal Vaccine
Pneumococci are currently divided into 84 serotypes based on their capsular polysaccharides. Although there is some variability of commonly occurring serotypes with geographic location, generally serotypes 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 12 are more prevalent in the adult population. Serotypes 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 14, 18, 19 and 23 often cause pneumonia in children (Mandell, 1990; Connelly and Starke, 1991; Lee et al., 1991; Sorensen, 1993; Nielsen and Henricksen, 1993).
At present, the most widely used anti-pneumococcal vaccine is composed of purified capsular polysaccharides from 23 strains of pneumococci (Pneumovax.RTM.23, Merck Sharp & Dohme). The pneumococcal capsular types included in Pneumovax.RTM.23 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 8, 9N, 9V, 10A, 11A, 12F, 14, 15B, 17F, 18C, 19F, 19A, 20, 22F, 23F, 33F (Danish nomenclature). These serotypes are said to be responsible for 90 percent of serious pneumococcal disease in the world.
Some controversy exists in the literature over the efficacy of the Pneumovax.RTM.23 vaccine (Borgano et al., 1978; Broome et al., 1980; Sloyer et al., 1981,; Shapiro and Clemens, 1984; Bolan et al., 1986; Simberkoff et al., 1986; Forester et al., 1987; Shapiro, 1987; Sims et al., 1988; Simberkoff, 1989; Shapiro, 1991). The pneumococcal vaccine is effective for induction of an antibody response in healthy young adults (Hilleman et al., 1981; Mufson et al., 1985; Bruyan and van Furth, 1991). These antibodies have been shown to have in vitro opsonic activity (Chudwin et al., 1985). However, there is marked variability in the intensity of the response and in the persistence of antibody titers to the different serotypes (Hilleman et al., 1981; Mufson et al., 1987).
Children under 2 years of age are the group at highest risk of systemic disease, otitis media and acute lower respiratory infection caused by pneumococci, but they do not respond to this vaccine (Sell et al., 1981; Hazelwood et al., 1993; Saunders et al., 1993). Furthermore, elderly and immunosuppressed patients have impaired or varied responses to Pneumovax.RTM.23 (Siber et al., 1978; Schildt et al., 1983; Forester et al., 1987; Simberkoff, 1989; Shapiro, 1991). These population groups do not respond well to the thymus independent polysaccharide antigens of this vaccine. Typical of thymus independent antigens, antibody class switching from an IgM to IgG isotype is not usually observed nor is an anamnestic response to a booster immunization (Borgano et al., 1978).
Recent occurrences of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria stresses the need to develop efficacious vaccines for the prevention of childhood infection. Clearly, new vaccines against pneumococci are needed, especially for high risk groups and children.
Conjugate Vaccines
Avery and Goebel were the first to prepare vaccines against bacterial infections (Avery and Goebel 1929; Goebel and Avery 1929). More recently, several protein carrier conjugates have been developed which elicit thymus dependent responses to a variety of bacterial polysaccharides. To date, the development of conjugate vaccines to Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has received the most attention. Schneerson et al. (1980) have covalently coupled Hib polysaccharides (polyribitol-phosphate) to diphtheria toxoid. This group has also developed a Hib vaccine by derivatizing the polysaccharide with an adipic acid dihydrazide spacer and coupling this material to tetanus toxoid with carbodiimide (Schneerson et al., 1986). A similar procedure was used to produce conjugates containing diphtheria toxoid as the carrier (Gordon, 1986 and 1987). A bifunctional spacer was utilized to couple the outer membrane protein of group B Neisseria meningitidis to Hib polysaccharides (Marburg et al., 1986, 1987 and 1989). Finally, Anderson (1983 and 1987) has produced a conjugate vaccine using Hib oligosaccharides coupled by reductive amination to a nontoxic, cross-reactive mutant diphtheria toxin CRM.sub.197.
Reports in the literature differ on the efficacy of these vaccines, and many studies are still in progress. However, oligosaccharide conjugates (Anderson et al., 1985a, 1985b, 1986, 1989; Seid et al., 1989; Madore et al., 1990; Eby et al., 1994) and polysaccharide conjugates (Barra et al., 1993) are reported to be immunogenic in infants and elicit a thymus dependent response. Hapten loading is a key factor for conjugate immunogenicity (Anderson et al., 1989; Eby et al., 1994).
Other conjugate vaccines have been developed by Jennings et al. (1985 and 1989), who utilized periodate activation to couple polysaccharides of Neisseria meningitidis to tetanus or diphtheria toxoid carriers. Porro (1987) defined methods to couple esterified N. meningitidis oligosaccharides to carrier proteins. Conjugate vaccines containing polysaccharides of Pseudomonas aeruginosa coupled by the periodate procedure to detoxified protein from the same organism (Tsay and Collins, 1987) have been developed. Cryz and Furer (1988) used adipic acid dihydrazide as a spacer arm to produce conjugate vaccines against P. aeruginosa.
Polysaccharides of specific serotypes of S. pneumoniae have also been coupled to classical carrier proteins such as tetanus or diphtheria toxoids (Schneerson et al., 1984; Fattom et al., 1988 and 1990; Schneerson et al., 1992), to N. meningitidis membrane protein (Marburg et al., 1987; Giebink et al., 1993) and to a pneumolysin mutant carrier (Paton et al., 1991; Lock et al., 1992; Lee et al., 1994). Technology for coupling S. pneumoniae oligosaccharides to CRM.sub.197 protein has been developed (Porro, 1990). These conjugate vaccines have variable or as yet undetermined immunopotentiation properties. Reproducibility of these coupling technologies with the maintenance of immunogenic epitopes is currently the greatest problem in developing effective S. pneumoniae glycoconjugate vaccines. The optimal immunogenic oligosaccharide size appears to vary dependent on the serotype, indicating a conformational aspect of certain immunogenic epitopes (Eby et al., 1994; Steinhoff et al., 1994).
Vaccines to DTP, tuberculosis, polio, measles, hepatitis, Hib and pneumonia which induce long lasting protection are needed. In order to induce protection in infants to S. pneumoniae, a multi-hapten protein conjugate containing a high level of oligosaccharides of optimal immunogenic size for each serotype is desired.
Various researchers have proposed enhancement of the immunogenicity of conjugate vaccines by adjuvant administration. Aluminum salt, which is approved for human use, is an example. Carbohydrate moieties, such as beta glucan particles and low molecular weight dextran, have also been reported to possess adjuvant activity. Adjuvax (Alpha-Beta Technology) is an adjuvant composition containing beta glucan particles. Lees et al. (1994) have reported the use of low molecular weight dextran constructs as adjuvants. Penney et al. (1992) have reported a long chain alkyl compound with immunological activity.